The Trouble with Carter
by Chezza
Summary: Sam's pissed, Jack's at a loss and Daniel is stuck in the middle. Poor guy. SJ Established. [Season NineFuture] Complete!
1. Prologue

Just a little story to tide you all over whilst waiting for the next part of BBE..which will hopefully have the next chapter up by the end of July. However, it does all depend on the weather. If it stays nice, then I'm afraid the call of the outdoors will continue to keep me away from my PC! This was written before the weather turned nice and is complete, so you don't need to worry about yet another WIP. I'll be posting a chapter a day until they're all up. Oh and as a entirely random aside, if you haven't already done so, go see Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest. It's bloody brilliant!

**The Trouble with Carter**

**By Chezza**

**Disclaimer: **Stargate's not mine as I'm sure you all know,

nor do it's characters belong to me.

This kind of writing earns me no dough,

so you get to read my fic for free!

**Authors Notes:** Sort of follow-up to 'Over the Phone' insofar as it's in the same series, but does not require any knowledge of the previous story.

**© Chezza, July 2006**

_**o0o**_

**Prologue**

Jack O'Neill stared at the phone in his hand as if it were a living thing. One which might conceivably jump out of his hand and bite him on the nose, if he wasn't careful. After a few seconds the disconnected tone kicked in, prompting him to gingerly replace the handset on its base.

Still staring at it suspiciously, in case it changed it's mind and spontaneously morphed into a small, vicious, furry creature with immensely large teeth, he gave it a couple of thoughtful taps on the back.

There were many things Jack O'Neill didn't know. And he was okay with that. He was never going to be a Harvard-educated genius. He was okay with that too, since it had never been a particular goal of his in life, anyway. Although the Master's certificate hidden away in the bottom drawer of his dresser, gave him a little more experience with that particular type of book-orientated learning, than he was comfortable with admitting in public. No, as far as Jack was concerned, everything he knew, everything he'd learnt was the type of knowledge picked up through life and the living of it.

One of those life skills of which Jack had always been particularly proud, was the ability to 'read' people. You could learn a lot from watching and listening to a person. Not so much in what they said or did, but in the way they did it.

Daniel always accused him of making snap decisions about people, but that wasn't the case. At least, not always. Fact was, give him five minutes with someone and Jack could tell whether they were gonna be worth the effort to get to know…or not. Yeah, okay, there were occasions when he was wrong and sometimes it took a little more time than that, but hey! No-one was perfect.

Not even Carter. Although, as far as Jack was concerned, she came pretty damn close. And he figured he should know, since they were…what? Dating? Going steady? Seeing each other?

Eh. He didn't know how to describe exactly what they were doing, but since they were doing it, together…he wasn't going to worry about it.

So, yeah…Carter. He figured he knew her pretty well. Could 'read' her almost as well as he'd ever been able to read anyone in his life, and despite the obvious lack of visual clues available in a conversation over the phone, he could tell…something was bugging her.

Something about them. About their…situation.

And she didn't want to tell him what that something was, either because she simply didn't want him to know, or because she didn't want him to worry. Either way, it didn't matter, because Jack wasn't about to let it go.

They were too important for that.

This time, the two finger-taps on top of the phone were decisive and quickly followed by the receiver being lifted and a series of well-known and oft-used numbers, being punched into the key pad.

Time to call in the big guns.

_**TBC…**_


	2. Chapter 1

Because I'm nice, you get Chapter One today as well as the Prologue…

**The Trouble With Carter**

**By Chezza**

Disclaimer, Author's Notes and Copyright Notice, etc in Prologue.

_**o0o**_

**Chapter One**

Jack pounced on him before he even managed to set foot through the door.

"Well?" He demanded, as he pulled the door open in response to the knocking.

Daniel blinked.

"Hey, Jack. How are you?"

Jack stared at him for a long moment before rolling his eyes and turning away. Waving a hand in a gesture which Daniel took to mean, 'follow me', he walked rapidly away towards the kitchen area, visible off to the left in the open plan apartment.

Daniel supposed this meant that the job of closing the door was being left up to him, then. Sighing heavily, he stepped inside, shut the door behind him and wandered after his pain-in-the-ass friend.

"Wanna beer?"

Jack's generic form of greeting was muffled by the refrigerator door as he stuck his head inside and pulled out a couple of bottles, without even waiting for an answer.

"Ah, no - "

Daniel made a hasty grab for the bottle which was thrust in his general direction, to prevent it from falling to the floor.

" - not really…"

Jack leant back against the counter to the side of the refrigerator and used the counter edge to flip the cap off his own bottle. He casually flicked the cap into the sink, taking a long swallow as he did so. The lowering of said bottle was perfectly synchronised with the raising of his eyebrow, as he cocked his head to one side.

"So?" He asked bluntly.

Daniel slowly turned his unopened bottle around in his hands several times, before twisting to the side and placing it on the counter.

"You know," he said lightly, trying to relieve some of the tension lying heavily in the air.

"I could make a fortune out of you guys if I actually charged you for this. Especially at the rates some of the relationship counsellors out there are asking."

If anything, Jack's glower grew darker. Daniel was beginning to think his effort had backfired, when Jack sagged like a puppet whose strings had been cut and ran a hand over his face, before raising his head and giving him a sheepish grin.

"Being an ass, huh?"

Daniel smirked.

"Just a little, Jack."

Jack nodded.

"Sorry."

He didn't sound particularly apologetic but Daniel wasn't going to push it.

"So," Jack continued. "Good flight? Meeting go well?"

Daniel grimaced. The flight had been a typical Air Force cargo hop. Cold, draughty, uncomfortable and incredibly noisy. And as for the meeting…

"Let's just say it went a whole lot better than the last meeting I attended here."

Jack smirked.

"Really?"

He waved his free hand in the air.

"Now see, I thought that Vala had a great career ahead of her in diplomacy."

Daniel snorted.

"You would."

"No really!" Jack protested. "I honestly thought she'd go far…"

His voice trailed off, as if it had just occurred to him that given the circumstances of her disappearance, that might possibly have been the wrong thing to say.

Daniel gave a sad smile.

"Yeah, she definitely did that, didn't she?"

"Hey, c'mon." Jack reached across to nudge his arm with the base of his beer bottle.

"We're here to sort out my women troubles, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just…"

Daniel sighed.

"Maybe if I'd paid a bit more actual attention to her instead of writing her off as an annoyance…if I'd listened to what she was trying to tell me - "

"Hey." Jack said firmly, cutting him off.

"From what I saw the last time both of you were here, that woman had a severe annoyance factor. There's no way you could be expected to weed out the truth from all the other crap she was spouting, every. Time. She. Spoke."

Jack fixed him with a pointed look.

"If you'd spent all your time doin' that, it would've distracted you from other important…stuff."

Daniel nodded thoughtfully. He had a point…even if it did little to diminish the guilt he felt over how he had treated Vala.

He pushed his glasses back into position higher up on his nose. The action more of a habit than because it was actually required, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're saying it's similar to the fable of the boy who cried wolf…that if you say something often enough, nobody believes you when it is actually true."

Jack was wearing his confused frown again, although these days Daniel was fairly certain it was nothing more than an act.

"Yeah. That's it exactly."

Jack cleared his throat, giving Daniel a pointed look which was presumably designed to let him know that he wasn't going to let him stray any further off topic.

"So anyway…did you talk to Carter?"

_**o0o**_

Daniel frowned.

"You know, it might help matters if you didn't refer to Sam as Carter, all the time."

Jack looked startled, as if the thought that he did so had never even occurred to him.

"I don't!" He protested. "At least, not when we're…you know."

Daniel briefly closed his eyes in an effort to suppress the automatic cringe reflex caused by Jack's words. That was way more information than he ever needed or indeed wanted to know, but he supposed it was his own damn fault for suggesting it.

"But she's not here and you are and…it's easier to keep things…professional if we stick to - "

The hand was waving around again.

" - surnames and honourifics when there are other people around."

Daniel un-scrunched one eye enough to open it and lifted his eyebrow. Honourifics?

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"It's just me, Jack. I'm not going to say anything."

"But see, that's how it starts. First it's you, then it's Teal'c, then - "

There went the hand again, except this time it was the one holding the beer bottle. Which was a little worrying.

" - Mitchell and the next thing you know, I'm calling her 'sweetheart' in front of Hank."

Daniel couldn't help but snort in disbelief. One, the thought of Jack O'Neill calling anyone other than a three year old 'sweetheart,' beggared belief and two, he knew for a fact that pet names - of any kind - were a particular hatred of Sam's.

"Jack, I highly doubt you'd call Sam 'sweetheart' even if she was the only other person in the room!"

He paused.

"At least, not if you want to stand any chance whatsoever of having sex with her again, at some point in the next several years."

Jack's face broke into a wide smirk at the mention of having sex with Sam and since it was his own fault once again for mentioning it in the first place, Daniel decided he was just going to ignore it. Otherwise he might end up mentally scarred for life.

"True. But you get the point."

Daniel sighed and admitted defeat.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Jack nodded, obviously satisfied that he'd hammered the point home.

"Good."

He took a long swallow of beer.

"So, back to my original question, what the heck is up with Carter?"

_**TBC…**_


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews guys! Here's Part Two for you… Enjoy!

Today's Random Comment: Went to see Pirates 2 again last night and noticed so much more the second time around…is Johnny Depp absolutely brilliant as Captain Jack Sparrow or what? I love this film so much more than the first... Oh, and how many people here made the effort to stay to the end of the credits & find out what happened to the dog, eh? Anyone?

**The Trouble With Carter**

**By Chezza**

Disclaimer, Author's Notes and Copyright Notice, etc in Prologue.

_**o0o**_

**Chapter Two**

Daniel smirked.

"Well, you'll be pleased to hear it's got nothing to do with you forgetting about Valentines Day."

Jack's scowl deepened.

"I knew that, Daniel!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in query and Jack sighed in resignation.

"I haven't forgotten, Daniel." He said defensively. "You're all going to be off-world for it anyway, which makes it kinda pointless…"

He hesitated for a second, before finishing in a rush.

"And we've already made plans for the following weekend."

Jack's look plainly said 'try again', even if he didn't speak it and it became Daniel's turn to frown.

"Huh."

Well, that was a surprise! With them being off-world and knowing that Jack would also know they would be off-world, he hadn't expected Jack to even remember, let alone 'make plans'.

Jack frowned in reply.

"Besides, I don't 'do' hearts and flowers and all that crud, Daniel. Carter knows that."

"Yes…well, you may want to consider it this year."

Jack's frown deepened.

"I thought you said this has nothing to do with - "

He waved a hand in emphasis.

" - that?"

Daniel sighed.

"Yes…but it might help with the actual problem itself."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Do tell?"

Daniel pulled a face. It didn't look like he was going to be able to put this off any longer.

"Well, from what I gather, you know, talking to her - "

He coughed a little awkwardly and Jack's expression practically screamed at him to get on with it.

" - and everything…I think, she's feeling…alittleinsecure."

The beer bottle lowered slowly and Daniel cringed inwardly, in expectation of the outburst which he had a nasty feeling was about to occur.

"Insecure?"

Daniel nodded, refraining from speaking in an effort not to set him off.

"Carter?"

He nodded again.

"Daniel, Carter is one of the least insecure people I've ever met!"

The bottle was being waved around again and it was a testament to how much had already been drunken out of it, that the liquid inside didn't immediately spill everywhere.

"I mean…she's saved the world for chrissake! Hell, the whole damn galaxy! And not just once."

Jack shook his head as he raised the bottle again.

"Insecure. Jeez…"

Daniel took the resumption of drinking to mean he'd calmed down, or at least accepted the idea enough, to listen to an explanation.

"Yes, I think so. You have to remember we're talking about Sam here, not Colonel Carter."

Jack was looking confused again.

"I thought we were. Unless someone split her down the middle when I wasn't looking…"

His face brightened at the thought.

"Hey, two Carters! That could be fun…"

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Jack, don't be so obtuse. You know what I mean."

Jack sobered immediately. Standing straighter at Daniel's accusation, he fixed him with a piercing look.

"Actually I don't, Daniel. Why don't you tell me?"

Daniel grimaced, knowing he'd just been caught out.

"Alright. I'll give it a shot. Sam…knows who she is in her work and where she's heading with her career. But in her personal life…this thing with you…she's…not so sure."

Jack went completely rigid, the bottle stilling between his hands. He looked down at it for a long time before raising his head.

Uh-oh.

Daniel recognised that defeated look and the effort it was causing Jack to attempt to keep it hidden. The fact that he was failing miserably, said an awful lot more about the strength of his feelings, than he knew Jack would be happy with knowing he'd admitted.

It did not bode well.

"So…what?" Jack said, dully. "She thinks we're not going to work out?"

_**o0o**_

Daniel resisted the urge to swear under his breath.

"God, no! Jack, that's not it at all!"

Dammit. Trust Jack to get entirely the wrong end of the stick! Sam wasn't the only one who needed some confidence in themselves. And their relationship.

"Jack…" Daniel tailed off, sighing.

How to explain without creating more of a mess than he had already?

God, he was useless at this! It'd probably be a whole lot easier if he wasn't such good friends with both of them, but either way, being placed right in the centre of Sam and Jack's troubles was soo not a place he was comfortable with being in, right now.

Or ever, in fact.

Why the hell had Jack thought it was a good idea to involve him, anyway? It wasn't like he could offer any useful information on personal relationships! Jack himself, had a better record on that account. And that was saying something. Jack should be the one talking to Sam and sorting this out. After all, he was the one in a relationship with Sam, not Daniel.

And right about now, Daniel was classing that as a very good thing. Sam was a good friend to the point of being the sister he'd never had, if he used the typical cliché, but that wasn't to say he'd never thought about her that way. How could he not? Sam was a very beautiful and intelligent woman.

At this precise moment though, he was very definitely receiving the impression he'd dodged a bullet on this one. Sam might be one of the best friends he'd ever had, but as 'something more'… Well, he was starting to believe that the phrase 'high maintenance' didn't even come close.

He had the feeling Jack wasn't much better.

However, the fact that either of them had the patience to put aside their combined baggage and still do their best to attempt to make it work, was enough to make a reluctant Daniel push away his own resentment. He settled instead for a grimace at the amount of effort it took, and tried his best to find the right words to say.

"Look…Jack… Sam said to me – "

Oi. How best to put this? Might as well just tell Jack straight up. Sam could kill him later. When they'd sorted this out.

" – that you were the best thing to ever happen to her."

Of course, Sam was biased.

But still…Daniel found it pretty incredible, considering all the things Sam done in her life. Especially during the last nine years. The only reason he could come up with for her statement - and she had been fairly adamant about it - was that love was indeed blind.

It darn well had to be.

"I don't think she's just going to give up on you now. You'd have to do something pretty damn stupid for that to happen."

He could only watch in amazement as Jack's expression instantly softened from 'grim', into what could only be described as 'goofy'.

"Really? She said that?"

Daniel nodded, his amazement growing in line with the big-ass smile which spread itself across Jack's face.

"Sweet." Jack murmured softly, ducking his head to stare at his feet in what Daniel knew was a blatant effort to avoid showing how much of an effect that knowledge had on him.

He shook his head in disbelief. Wow. Jack really did have it bad.

Who'd have thought it?

Maybe Sam had a very good reason to be biased. He'd certainly never seen anyone put that particular expression on Jack's face before. It was actually kind of sweet.

In a sickening sort of way.

_**TBC…**_


	4. Chapter 3

So. I tried to upload this for youall last night, as it occurred to me that I'm going to be busy at the weekend and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging with this story... However, ffnet was dicking around (as per bloody usual), so I've nicked our i'net PC at work for a a few mins, so that you get it this morning :)

Enjoy! Oh, and don't kill me, okay? ;)

Random POTC Thought of the Morning: Why is the rum always gone? Oh. That's why...

**The Trouble With Carter**

**By Chezza**

Disclaimer, Author's Notes and Copyright Notice, etc in Prologue.

_**o0o**_

**Chapter Three**

Jack eventually raised his head.

"Thanks, Daniel."

The honesty in his eyes made Daniel remember why he was good friends with Jack, however much of a pain in the ass he might be at times.

"You're a good man, Jack. Sam knows that."

Jack's smile was fleeting, but enough to let Daniel know that his words were appreciated.

"So are you, Daniel."

"Yes, well…"

Daniel coughed and resorted to Jack's favourite trick of using humour to gloss over the awkwardness he was feeling. Two moments of honesty from Jack O'Neill in such short succession, was one moment more than he could cope with, comfortably.

Any more and he'd start wondering if hell had frozen over when he wasn't looking.

"For some reason I honestly can't fathom, Sam seems to prefer the grouchy old General type to the suave and sophisticated archaeologist type. Don't ask me why."

"Hey!" Jack protested. "Less of the old, thank you!"

Daniel shook his head, noting wryly that Jack didn't protest at the 'grouchy' part of the description.

"You know, you should really be having this conversation with her, Jack. Not me."

Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I know. I just…I just wanted to get an idea of what was wrong before I talked to her, you know?"

Oh yeah, hell had definitely frozen over.

Jack pulled a face.

"There's nothing worse than not knowing what the hell you did to screw up this time. If I'm gonna have to apologise for something, I'd kinda like to know what it is I'm apologising for…"

The sound of long-suffering experience in Jack's voice came through loud and clear, giving Daniel pause. Sometimes he forgot Jack had been married before.

A memory popped unbidden into his head from long ago during the brief sweet year he'd spent with Sha're on Abydos. Of returning to the village with the rest of the men one day, elated at their success after an impromptu hunting trip, to find Sha're giving him the cold shoulder. It had continued until they'd retired after the evening meal and Daniel had forced the issue. The result was a screaming match to end all screaming matches, which hadn't quit until Daniel found himself apologising profusely. What for, he'd never found out and he still wasn't sure, even to this day.

The memory was bittersweet, particularly as he then remembered the delight of their making up session afterwards. It sent a pang of wistfulness went through him, as he wished for a moment that he'd had the chance to discover exactly what he'd done wrong.

"I wanna get it right this time, Daniel."

Jack's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, as it so often did. Yeah, he understood precisely how Jack felt and at that moment, it strengthened his resolve to help Jack figure this thing out. For him - and Sam's - sake.

"I don't think it's anything you've done, Jack." Daniel said, trying to reassure him.

He'd do his best to help Jack get this right. God only knew that someone deserved some happiness after everything they'd been through…and who better than Jack and Sam?

"Ya think?" Jack's voice was hopeful.

Daniel nodded.

"I do."

Jack looked more confused now than Daniel had ever seen him.

"Then what…?"

Daniel eyed the bottle sat on the counter-top at his side. Thinking about what he had to say next was enough to make him change his mind about that beer.

He picked it up and held it out to Jack.

"Would you mind?"

Jack rolled his eyes, snatched the bottle out of his hands and used the edge of the counter to snap the top off again, before handing it back to him. Daniel winced at Jack's casual disregard of the damage he was causing to his kitchen.

"Quit stalling." Jack told him.

Daniel took a sip of his beer. His smirk at the glower which appeared on Jack's face in response to the deliberate delaying tactic, turning into a grimace at the bitter taste.

God, he hated Guinness.

"Okay, here's what I think."

He held up a hand.

"And before you take your frustration out on the messenger, just remember what I said about Sam wanting this to work."

"She told you that too?"

Jack's look was sceptical to say the least.

Daniel coughed.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

What she'd actually said, ran along the lines of 'I want to spend the rest of my life with him if he'll have me, Daniel. I can't imagine living it without him'.

Except Jack looked smug enough after his earlier revelation of what he meant to Sam, and Daniel didn't want to give him any more ammunition. He had a feeling Sam was going to be pissed off with him already, for telling Jack she'd said that, without adding to his troubles.

"Right."

The look on Jack's face didn't match his words as it remained stuck on sceptical, but Daniel felt it best to take his verbal acceptance as permission to continue.

_**o0o**_

"I think…she's just a little uncertain."

"Uncertain?"

"At the whole situation. What it – what she – means to you."

Jack opened his mouth to interrupt and Daniel threw his hand up.

"Ah!"

God. Now he was starting to sound like Jack.

Jack hesitated as if deciding whether or not to argue, then closed his mouth.

Daniel carried on.

"You know, with you living here and Sam being back in the 'Springs, if I had to guess, I would say she's unsure about how you see your relationship developing."

Jack looked exasperated. And more than a little murderous. Which was more than a little worrying from Daniel's point of view.

"Daniel – "

Daniel blithely talked over him.

"She just…needs some reassurance that you want to be with her."

Daniel fixed him with a piercing look.

"And that this isn't just some sort of brief…fling."

Jack's jaw worked furiously for several seconds, then he flung his arms wide in an explosion of frustration.

"Why didn't she just tell me!"

Daniel chuckled.

"Best guess? She didn't want to pressure you, Jack."

And probably because Sam was as bad at opening up to people regarding her feelings, as Jack was himself. Except he figured Jack wouldn't appreciate being told that, right now.

If Jack's eyebrows raised any higher they'd be in danger of flying off his forehead.

"Pressure me?"

"Absolutely. I think she's afraid of pushing you into doing something you don't want to do, which is why she hasn't said anything to you. But…you do need to do something to reassure her, Jack."

Jack was back to shaking his head again.

"Like what?"

"Well, that's what you need to figure out. I'd say it's a little early for an engagement ring or anything like that, but…"

The widened eyes and panicked look which appeared on Jack's face in response to his words, gave Daniel pause.

"Assuming you do want to marry Sam?"

The panicked look remained present.

"Not right now obviously, but at some vague, undefined point in the future?"

If silence could be classed as panicked, then Daniel would have classed Jack's complete lack of response as that as well.

Daniel was beginning to become annoyed. He'd flown to D.C. convinced that Sam's worries had no basis in fact and that Jack simply needed a good talking-to. However, if it turned out that she was indeed right and Jack didn't actually want anymore from a relationship with Sam than this…

Then Daniel was going to kick his ass. Level six hand-to-hand or not.

_**TBC…**_


	5. Chapter 4

You guys are soo lucky that the thunderstorms rumbling around the edges today are currently holding off, otherwise there's no way I'd have been able to post this, since they play havoc with my broadband connection... One more chapter to come and that should be up tomorrow.Enjoy!

**The Trouble With Carter**

**By Chezza**

Disclaimer, Author's Notes and Copyright Notice, etc in Prologue.

_**o0o**_

**Chapter Four**

"Ja-ack…" He said warningly. "The next four words out of your mouth had better be 'of course I do,' otherwise – "

Jack chopped him off with a wave of his hand and took a quick gulp of beer, in what looked to be desperation.

"No offence Daniel, but if Carter and I ever take the decision to get hitched, you won't be the first person I discuss it with."

Daniel relaxed and refrained from pointing out that he'd ended the sentence with a preposition. It was a sign of exactly how thrown Jack had been by Daniel's words that he hadn't even noticed. Still, it was kind of nice to get one over on Jack for a change. He'd never seen him look so uncomfortable before.

Daniel didn't bother to restrain the smirk.

"So…"

That was obviously all he was going to get out of Jack on that particular subject, as Jack threw it right back at him.

"So?"

"So…I'd say if you wanted to further your relationship with Sam, then the next step would probably be moving in together."

Daniel rubbed his temple, in a vain effort to stop the headache which was starting to niggle from developing any further and hurried on, before Jack had time to think about his words.

"Now obviously with you living so far apart, that isn't practical in your situation. Sam knows this and the reasons why."

He cleared his throat.

"I'm guessing then, that it's the fact that you haven't even discussed the possibility, for…you know, that vague undefined point in the future…which is making her concerned that it's simply not something you want. With her."

Daniel held his breath.

He was prepared for Jack to nod his head slowly, while he thought over everything Daniel had said and then to ask for his advice. Which he wasn't quite so ready to give, since he didn't have the slightest clue of what to say. He was even prepared for Jack to yell and swear loudly in denial, before finally calming down and asking for the aforesaid advice.

What he wasn't prepared for however, was the reaction he actually received.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Daniel's eyes widened at the violent outburst.

"That's it?"

Jack shook his head in disbelief.

"This whole – "

The hands were waving around again as Jack tried and failed to find the words he needed.

" – that's it?"

Daniel nodded carefully. He valued his safety and wasn't saying another word.

Jack shook his head, drained the last of his beer and set his bottle down with a decisive thump.

"Daniel, come with me."

"Ah, Jack - "

"Be quiet, Daniel."

Daniel figured that judging by what they'd just discussed, it was probably a good idea to do as he was told. On this occasion. He'd get his own back later.

Setting his virtually full bottle of Guinness back on the counter-top, he hurried after his friend as Jack strode purposefully out of the kitchen.

_**o0o**_

Jack made a beeline for the bedroom door which was slightly ajar. Pushing it wide open, he didn't slow his pace as he walked straight in.

"Ah, Jack?" Daniel asked lightly in an effort to gain an explanation for this slightly odd behaviour.

"As much as I like you, I don't think – "

Jack's head popped back out from behind the doorjamb.

"Daniel, what are you babbling about? Get in here."

Daniel sighed a heavy sigh and walked into the room. A brief scan revealed a room decorated in muted neutral colours. There were several pictures of various lakes hanging on the walls. No fish this time though, no wait…that was one over there, almost hidden between the dresser and the corner of the room.

The cupboards, drawers and furniture were a deep honey-coloured pine and what looked like a king size bed took up most of the centre of the room. It's dark blue covers matched the curtains, which was just plain scary. He just couldn't imagine Jack spending his weekend shopping for co-ordinates.

Jack however, was nowhere to be seen. Huh. Daniel was about to yell for him, when a couple of photos positioned on the small table to the left of the bed, caught his eye. He wandered closer to take a look, amazed at the neatness of the room. Other than a tee shirt which had been balled up and thrown into a corner, with what looked like a pair of socks, it was practically spotless. The bed was pristinely made, a pair of black shoes were tidily positioned under the chair in front of the dresser and Jack's shirt and tie had been draped over the back of said chair to prevent creases.

Daniel winced as he remembered the pile of clothes which sat in the corner of his room, steadily growing larger every time he changed clothes, until he was forced to do a load of washing. Knowing that Jack worked insane hours as Head of Homeworld Security and still managed to take the time to tidy up after himself… Quite frankly, it put him to shame.

Damn you, Jack.

The wince turned into a soft smile as he moved closer and got a good look at the photos.

A far younger Jack O'Neill with his arm around a young boy whom Daniel knew to be Charlie, were depicted in the photo on the left. On the right…was a photo he'd never seen before.

The picture had obviously been taken recently and he didn't recognise the location as being anywhere in the 'Springs, which meant it had to have been taken here in D.C. Hmm…

He wondered who had taken it.

Jack was standing with his arm around Sam's shoulders. Her arm was wrapped around his waist and her head was resting lightly on his shoulder. They both looked the happiest he'd ever seen them.

The honest-to-god smile on Jack's face, was an almost identical match to the one he was wearing in the picture with Charlie, albeit with the added effect of another decade's worth of life. Daniel swallowed hard against the lump which appeared in his throat. He never thought he would ever see Jack look that happy again. If anything was ever going to convince him that Jack was as committed to this relationship as Sam, then this was it.

"Daniel!"

The sound of his name being called sharply had him spinning round, pulled abruptly out of his thoughts. He saw Jack standing in another doorway which he'd missed when he entered the room earlier.

Jack raised his eyebrows.

"You coming?"

"Eh, yeah..."

Daniel wandered over to the doorway. A quick look inside showed him that this was an adjoining bathroom.

"Nice photo." He commented, interested to see how Jack's would respond.

"Yep." Jack replied, blithely ignoring his leading comment.

He stepped to one side and beckoned Daniel forward. Daniel bit back a sigh. He hadn't expected his comment to generate a decent response – this was Jack, after all – but still…it would've been nice. He stepped forward and peered in.

Jack waved a hand airily.

"Take a look."

Daniel looked around the small room. Bath opposite the door, shower at the end of the bath, toilet to the right of the door, sink and cabinet on the wall to the left of the door. The décor was a light mint green. He looked back at Jack, failing to see whatever it was that Jack felt he should be seeing. Unfortunately, he had no idea whatsoever what it was... He turned back to Jack.

"It's…a bathroom."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Very observant of you, Doctor Jackson. Now use those much-vaunted archaeological skills of yours and try again."

_**TBC…**_


	6. Chapter 5

I'm so sorry I didn't manage to get this up before now guys! After thunderstorms all day on Sat, my PC spontaneously decided it wasn't going to communicate with my ADSL modem any longer :( Unfortunately, I didn't get chance to look at it until last night. In true IT Support fashion, I switched everything off and on again, then uninstalled and reinstalled it and finally ended up taking the case off - which I loathe having to do, because it a pain putting everything back again - and reseating all the cards, which fixed the problem. Damn chip-creep! Any how, wanted to get this finished beforeI head off to Bristol today with no i-net access :O Thanks so much for all your reviews, haven't had to time to reply individually yet, so please consider this a heartfelt group hug instead of separate thank yous :)

This is the end of the line, folks... Enjoy!

**The Trouble With Carter**

**By Chezza**

Disclaimer, Author's Notes and Copyright Notice, etc in Prologue.

_**o0o**_

**Chapter Five**

Daniel turned back towards the room in front of him and scanned it again. This time taking in all the small details he'd skimmed over earlier. At first, his gaze found items he'd expect to see in Jack's bathroom.

A can of shaving foam standing on the sink underneath the mirror. Razor precariously thrown down next to it. Bar of soap. Toothpaste squeezed from the middle – god, that was annoying – toothbrush…

Then his mind began to pick up on the items which were definitely out of place in a single male's bathroom.

Extra toothbrush sitting at the side of the previously mentioned one. Except instead of plain blue, this one was pale yellow with a daisy pattern adorning it. Daniel looked closer. There was another razor. Placed neatly out of the way on the right-hand side of the sink. Except this one was pink. As was the zipped cosmetics bag next to it.

He turned his attention to the bathtub. Bubble bath, honey shampoo, a strange poofy item that even his powers of observation had trouble identifying. He assumed it to be to be some sort of hi-tech sponge but he wasn't sure that he wanted to know if it wasn't…and he was going nowhere near trying to figure out what that odd red glittery ball was for.

Wait. Was that a rubber duck in the corner? Yes, yes it was. Even more disturbing was the fact that it was covered in camouflage patterning.

Oh…my.

Finished with his perusal and he had to admit, slightly disturbed by it, Daniel turned back to Jack. He had an idea where this was heading. Jack met his gaze levelly, before turning without saying a word and walking back into the bedroom.

Daniel watched as he strolled over to the closet in the corner and flung the doors wide. Stepping to one side, Jack once again indicated that Daniel should take a look. This time knowing what he was supposed to seeing, Daniel skimmed his gaze quickly over the uniform, sweaters, hockey shirts and pants. His eyes sought out and found a pale blue dress, several skirts and a rather feminine-looking sweater, before dropping downwards and finally alighting on a pair of high-heeled sandals that he was fairly certain did not belong to Jack.

Jack stepped forward and spread his arms wide in the direction of the closet.

"Ya see?"

Daniel coughed and crossed his arms over chest.

"I'm going to assume you're attempting to point out everything here which belongs to Sam, rather than trying to tell me that you like to dress up as 'Jacqueline' in your spare time..."

Jack scowled.

"You're not funny, Daniel."

Daniel smirked.

"Really? I thought I was pretty good myself…"

Jack glared, but disappointingly for Daniel, he didn't rise to the bait. Instead he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"But yeah, all this stuff…is Sam's. And that's without even mentioning all the faffy food which has made it's way into the cupboards! I mean, bulghar wheat? Who the hell eats that?"

Jack shook his head in a visible effort to stay on track.

"Anyway… Point is Daniel, she's already moved in! Yeah okay, so she's not here that often, but when she is - "

He shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. Which perhaps it was…to Jack.

" - it's as much her place as it is mine."

"Maybe she just needs to be told that?"

Jack's expression said loud and clear that he honestly didn't understand why Sam would need to be told. It was her stuff after all, shouldn't she just know?

Unfortunately, Daniel didn't have an answer for him. Possibly because Jack wasn't the only one didn't understand it.

Daniel shrugged.

"Maybe it's a woman thing."

The glare was back.

"That doesn't help me, Daniel."

Yeah, he'd figured as much. But there was just so much entertainment value to be had in poking fun at a frustrated Jack O'Neill.

"Right." Jack said eventually, giving a heavy sigh.

"Thank you, Daniel. You've been a great help."

The tone of his voice told Daniel that he didn't believe that anymore than Daniel did.

Daniel fought hard to keep from laughing out loud.

"You're welcome."

He paused for effect.

"That'll be three hundred dollars, Jack."

Then he turned on his heel and ran.

**-fini-**

So there you go, all done. If you've made it this far, then congratulations! I hope you enjoyed the ride. Would love to know what your favourite part(s) were, what you liked about the story, disliked, best lines, etc.

And yes, before you start screaming at me, there will be a sequel. The prologue and part of the first chapter have already been written. As for how long the rest will take, depends on how much the story grows as I write it. This one ended up being double the length I had planned, so we'll just have to see!

Either way, it won't be posted here until it's finished. One WIP at a time is more than enough for me! If you're truly desperate to know what happens next, drop me a PM and I'll send you the prologue and further bits of the story as and when I write them…

That's all for now folks!

**- Chezza ;oD**


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